Wednesday, January 16, 2019 – Mendoza to Iguazu
We slept well – until about 3:30. Way too much wine to sleep well, plus we had a 7:30 pickup today so we were worried about sleeping late. Finally we gave up a little before 6:00 and showered, then tried to finish packing.
Jeanette had obtained wooden boxes for our wine, so we got 6 bottles in one and 4 in the other, then stuffed some dirty clothes around the bottles for padding. The wooden boxes got squeezed into the wine check cases. We will hope for the best.
We had a bit of coffee and fruit at the club then checked out, and we were ready for our pickup a little before 7:30.
Turned out we hadn’t needed to be so early, because Jeanette had changed the pickup time to 8:00. Oh well, we wouldn’t have slept any longer so no difference to us.
We made it to the tiny Mendoza airport in good time, at 8:25, and dropped our bags. It was nice to be able to use the Sky Priority lines finally, as Aerolineas Argentinas is SkyTeam member. We ended up carrying our wine check bags on board with us, instead of checking them. It made for a heavy load but we did OK.
Boarding was on schedule, and they took Sky Priority passengers before pre-boarding! Shockingly good. We were on board and settled in quickly. We had 4EF, and nobody was in D so it was pretty comfortable for the first leg to BA. We arrived a little early and deplaned before 11:00. Unfortunately there is no lounge at the AEP airport, so we hung out in the terminal for an hour before going to the Hard Rock Café for lunch.
Pulled pork and chicken sandwiches with fries, along with a small drink, really hit the spot. We started feeling human after the crazy amount of wine we’d drunk yesterday. Then back to the gate to wait. Once we lined up, they again took Sky Priority first, but that just meant we were first on the bus. Still good; we could position ourselves reasonably close to the exit door, so we didn’t have too long a wait to climb up the stairs to the plane.
This time the flight was pretty full so we had company in 4D. The flight was mostly smooth, but the descent had some turbulence. We were distracted by the mist from the falls as we approached. Then there was lots of red dirt as we approached the ground. A pretty area from above.
We stepped off into the heat and beastly humidity, then entered the relative coolness of the airport. We had arrived early, and bags took about 10 minutes. They were on the opposite carousel from the one that they were supposed to be, but our bags were near the front of the line so we were out of the airport promptly.
We met our guide Nieves (“Snow”), who was amused that we were carrying a case of wine with us. After loading up, we headed for the lodge, where we arrived about 4:30. There was a tour of the facilities, and a welcome “matay” drink to start off. Our room was really nice!
Then we met to discuss the next few days. There was a possibility of rain on day 2 so we’d have to make some adjustments, but we decided to head into town for a quick tour.
Lots of history and names/statues to try to remember but we did see the three frontiers where Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina come together.
Argentina in the foreground, Brazil is the tip of land to the right, Paraguay on the far side of the river, straight ahead.
There was also a park in the city with artwork based on indigenous legends and history.
Then back to the lodge for dinner.
A few more pictures of the room first.
There is a private plunge pool out back which looks like it will be nice in this weather!
We started in the bar with some dry Riesling which hit the spot. It's important to stay hydrated in this hot weather! We met the bartender Pepe, who Rodrigo had told us about, and we passed on his regards, which Pepe was glad to hear.
We ate dinner outside which was very pleasant temperature-wise, but there were more flies than we’d have liked. Chris had one that went for a swim in her wine, but the staff noticed right away, and of course she needed a new glass.
Food was well-prepared and interesting, and dinner flowed smoothly.
One of the appetizers was Three Coxinhas. These are a Brazilian specialty, a savory filling wrapped in dough and deep-fried. Yummy!
We had skirt steak for our main course.
We were in bed by 10:00, thankfully, and slept very soundly. There is quite a lot to do these next few days - so we can't afford to be too tired!
We slept well – until about 3:30. Way too much wine to sleep well, plus we had a 7:30 pickup today so we were worried about sleeping late. Finally we gave up a little before 6:00 and showered, then tried to finish packing.
 |
| Mirador Lounge, Sheraton Mendoza |
We had a bit of coffee and fruit at the club then checked out, and we were ready for our pickup a little before 7:30.
Turned out we hadn’t needed to be so early, because Jeanette had changed the pickup time to 8:00. Oh well, we wouldn’t have slept any longer so no difference to us.
We made it to the tiny Mendoza airport in good time, at 8:25, and dropped our bags. It was nice to be able to use the Sky Priority lines finally, as Aerolineas Argentinas is SkyTeam member. We ended up carrying our wine check bags on board with us, instead of checking them. It made for a heavy load but we did OK.
Boarding was on schedule, and they took Sky Priority passengers before pre-boarding! Shockingly good. We were on board and settled in quickly. We had 4EF, and nobody was in D so it was pretty comfortable for the first leg to BA. We arrived a little early and deplaned before 11:00. Unfortunately there is no lounge at the AEP airport, so we hung out in the terminal for an hour before going to the Hard Rock Café for lunch.
Pulled pork and chicken sandwiches with fries, along with a small drink, really hit the spot. We started feeling human after the crazy amount of wine we’d drunk yesterday. Then back to the gate to wait. Once we lined up, they again took Sky Priority first, but that just meant we were first on the bus. Still good; we could position ourselves reasonably close to the exit door, so we didn’t have too long a wait to climb up the stairs to the plane.
 |
| Landing at IGR Airport, Argentina |
We stepped off into the heat and beastly humidity, then entered the relative coolness of the airport. We had arrived early, and bags took about 10 minutes. They were on the opposite carousel from the one that they were supposed to be, but our bags were near the front of the line so we were out of the airport promptly.
 |
| Villa 8, Awasi Iguazu |
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| Ponte Tancredo Neves: Brazil on the left bank, Argentina right |
Then we met to discuss the next few days. There was a possibility of rain on day 2 so we’d have to make some adjustments, but we decided to head into town for a quick tour.
 |
| Tres Fronteras - Puerto Iguazu |
Lots of history and names/statues to try to remember but we did see the three frontiers where Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina come together.
Argentina in the foreground, Brazil is the tip of land to the right, Paraguay on the far side of the river, straight ahead.There was also a park in the city with artwork based on indigenous legends and history.
Then back to the lodge for dinner.
A few more pictures of the room first.
There is a private plunge pool out back which looks like it will be nice in this weather!
 |
| Dinner Table Decorations, Awasi Iguazu |
 |
| 3 Coxinhas - Dinner at Awasi Iguazu |
We ate dinner outside which was very pleasant temperature-wise, but there were more flies than we’d have liked. Chris had one that went for a swim in her wine, but the staff noticed right away, and of course she needed a new glass.
Food was well-prepared and interesting, and dinner flowed smoothly.
One of the appetizers was Three Coxinhas. These are a Brazilian specialty, a savory filling wrapped in dough and deep-fried. Yummy!
We had skirt steak for our main course.
We were in bed by 10:00, thankfully, and slept very soundly. There is quite a lot to do these next few days - so we can't afford to be too tired!
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